need some reassurance - just donated

Oct 24, 2008

Hi Dr. Bob-
I first want to say I greatly appreciate all of the guidance you provide. Your site has helped me tremendously! I wish you nothing but positive karma! Heres my quick story, I have a wonderful wife, in a moment of bad judgement I had a one time encounter with an escort/sex worker, I ended up having condom protected oral sex for approximately 2-3 minutes we then proceeded to have vaginal intercourse while still protected with the same condom for approximately 10 minutes or so. I dont believe the condom broke as I removed it and it appeared in tact, there was also some brief french kissing involved during my encounter. Ever since I have had extreme anxiety related to the belief that I might have contracted HIV. I couldnt live with myself If I were to pass it on to my wife due to my infidelities. I did experience some tension and minor armpit and behind the knee discomfort, no rash or noticable fever. This is my testing history thus far. 4 weeks post encounter I had an oraquick advance oral swab, negative, @ 7 weeks I had a clearview finger prick blood test negative, @ 10.5 weeks I had another oraquick negative, and finally at 12.5-13 weeks I had a full blood draw ELISA @ labcorp, in combination with a PCR DNA , both negative. For piece of mind would you say it would be virtually imposssible for HIV to elude my tests and i can officially WOO HOO without any hesitations? my wife was tested recently negative as well, can I proceed with unprotected sex with my wife without any fear of passing on an undetected virus? Do you think for piece of mind a 6 month test would be warranted before unprotected sex? Theres so much info out there its hard to discern truth from fiction, I know some people say for a real high risk, test out to 6 months... but wouldnt that then apply to any/all risks? Thank you in advance, I have already sent a donation and plan to donate regularly, Best Wishes!

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hello,

Your HIV-acquisition risk was essentially nonexistent, assuming the latex condom was used properly and did not break. Your "symptoms" are not at all worrisome for or suggestive of HIV acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). Your multiple negative HIV-antibody tests out to 13 weeks plus your undetectable HIV qualitative PCR DNA are definitive and conclusive. HIV is not your problem. No way. No how. (No McCain. No Sarah "I can see Russia from my house" Palin.) No further HIV testing is warranted.

Your problem is guilt-induced anxiety. I would encourage you to level with your wife. It's not only the best way to confront your guilt, but it's also the right thing to do.

Thank you for the kind comments, good karma and tax-deductible donation to the Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation (www.concertedeffort.org). All are warmly appreciated.

This forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.